According to the Department of Energy, some 158 malls across the country have generated over P200 million in electricity savings after adjusting their operations amid the global oil crisis caused by the USA-Israel war against Iran in the Middle East.
The DOE said shopping centers saved around 23 megawatts through energy efficiency measures aimed at easing pressure on the power system.
At the same time, participating malls have capitalized on renewable energy by scaling up rooftop solar and joining the green energy option program (GEOP), where electricity end users with a monthly average consumption of at least 50 kilowatts are eligible to choose their preferred renewable power supplier.
On the government side, the DOE said public offices reduced fuel and electricity consumption by 14 percent, translating to energy savings of around 700KW.
“These savings reflect more efficient operations through measures such as optimized energy use in offices and facilities and practicing fuel efficiency while maintaining public service delivery,” it noted.
The government has been pushing for energy efficiency and fuel saving measures as the country grapples with an energy emergency sparked by the Middle East crisis. The Philippines was among the countries that recorded the biggest jump in fuel costs since the war erupted in late February, based on Global Petrol Prices data.
The DOE had earlier warned that record-high fuel costs could push power prices higher, with market simulations pointing to a spike of over P5 per KW hour.
The call for energy efficiency has been a long-standing one, yet the response has been lukewarm and mostly for the sake of compliance. However, now that a global fuel crisis has forced both the private and public sector to spring into action, we can see that it is possible to drastically change the way we consume energy.
Hopefully this initiative continues even if the crisis is resolved, hopefully soon, and Filipinos continue to be more judicious when it comes to the way our homes, businesses, places of work, and government, uses energy, especially if our power plants remain dependent on fossil fuels that produce emissions that are dangerous to the planet and our health.*
